Bacchus

Origin and parentage

Bacchus was bred at the Federal Research Institute for Vine Breeding in Geilweilerhof, Germany, by Peter Morio and Hermann Birk. The official parentage, confirmed by DNA work, is (Silvaner x Riesling) x Müller-Thurgau. The variety was named after the Roman god of wine. It was originally intended for German plantings, where it still appears in the Pfalz and Rheinhessen, but it never quite caught on there in the way the marketing men hoped.

Across the North Sea, however, Bacchus found a second life. English growers in the 1990s and 2000s noticed that it ripened reliably in the cool UK climate, resisted disease better than Sauvignon Blanc and produced wines with a distinctive aromatic punch. Plantings expanded steadily through the 2010s and now sit at over 350 hectares, mostly in the South East.

What Bacchus tastes like

A well-made English Bacchus in a ripe year shows elderflower, grapefruit, lime, blackcurrant leaf, freshly cut grass and a distinctive herbal edge that sommeliers often call hedgerow. Cooler vintages lean greener, with more nettle and gooseberry. The variety is naturally high in both acid and intense primary aromatics, which makes it almost uniquely suited to cool-climate winemaking.

On the palate, good examples are dry, medium-bodied and refreshing, with a long, slightly pithy finish. The best versions have texture from lees ageing, which adds a soft creaminess without dulling the aromatics. The variety's only real flaw is that it can read as a bit one-note if the yield is too high or the fruit is picked under-ripe, which is why yield control is so important.

Bacchus in the UK

Bacchus is grown across the South East, East Anglia, the South West and increasingly in Wales and Yorkshire. The largest single producers include Chapel Down, Bolney, Litmus Wines, Lyme Bay, Dunleavy, Harrow & Hope, and Mount Harry. WineGB publishes annual figures showing Bacchus as the most-planted white variety for still wine in England, ahead of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.

The variety has performed well in international competitions. Decanter magazine named English Bacchus a category worth watching, and the variety has won gold medals at the International Wine Challenge, Decanter World Wine Awards and the Global Drinks Intel Wine Challenge. The 2018 and 2020 vintages in particular produced concentrated, ripe examples that impressed both trade and consumer juries.

Making Bacchus in the cellar

Bacchus is best handled with restraint. Cool fermentation in stainless steel, between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius, preserves the primary aromatics that the grape does so well. A short pre-fermentation cold soak can lift the floral notes further. Most UK producers avoid oak for the base style, though some experiment with older 500-litre puncheons for a softer, more textural version. Malolactic conversion is usually blocked, to keep the freshness intact. The finished wine is typically bottled young, within six to nine months of harvest, to capture the aromatics at their peak.

Where you can taste it in the UK

Cellar doors at Chapel Down in Tenterden, Bolney Estate in West Sussex, Litmus Wines in Kent, Harrow & Hope in Berkshire, and Ancre Hill in Monmouthshire all pour Bacchus as a flagship. Off-trade listings are strong in Waitrose, M&S, Majestic and the better independent merchants. Several English Bacchus wines are now exported to the United States, Canada, the Nordics and Japan, with the Hambledon and Chapel Down ranges as the most visible examples abroad.